12 Science-backed Ways to be More Popular at Work

Hitting your targets, working long hours, doing more than your share when it comes to getting everyone hot drinks; these are all ways you can be more popular with your bosses and colleagues at work. But there’s more to being likeable than making sure everyone can see how hard you’re trying, and there have been many studies done about how to get people to like you.

Being likeable is hugely important in the workplace if you want to go places with your career. Research by the University of Massachusetts found that you can get people to go along with your suggestions at work if they like you, even if they don’t necessarily agree with you. It goes without saying that coming across as a likeable person is also hugely important in job interviews.

Quid Corner has come up with a guide based on these scientific studies, so here are 12 ways to be more popular at work:

#1 Focus On Similarities

An easy way to bond with people at work is to talk about interests and beliefs you have in common, and there is such a thing as the ‘similarity attraction effect’ which says that people are attracted to those who are similar to them. So find shared interests with your colleagues and avoid talking about subjects you disagree on.

#2 Remember Their Names

Particularly useful in a job interview, remembering and using the names of the interviewers is a good way to impress them and make them happy. Dale Carnegie wrote that: “A person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in the world.”

#3 Use Mirroring

When meeting someone new at work who you want to like you, try subtly mirroring their body language and gestures when talking to them, and the ‘chameleon effect’ will help that bond develop.

#4 Give Compliments

Complimenting somebody you work with is a good way to get them to like you, but there’s an extra bonus, which is that ‘spontaneous trait transference’ can cause that person to associate those traits with you as well.

#4 Be Open

A study by the State University Of New York showed that people feel closer to those who talk about more personal subjects than those who focus on small talk. Just remember to keep it all appropriate for the situation.

#5 Don’t Gossip

There’s always the temptation in the workplace to join in the gossip that takes place everywhere, and it can even seem like a way to be popular. But various studies have shown that we value the people we trust, so be a trustworthy person, not a gossip.

#6 Show Your Sense Of Humor

You can make a great first impression on people by making them laugh, so focus on the best way you know to be funny, but make sure your humor is safe for work.

#7 Show Them You Like Them

The ‘reciprocity of liking’ means that people are more likely to warm to people who they think already like them, so make the effort to show people that you value them and their friendship.

#8 Have Open Body Language

When you’re having an important conversation at work – or a job interview – and you want to come across as likeable, keeping your body language open will make them react more positively towards you. So keep your arms uncrossed and use your hands when you talk.

#9 Use Connective Listening

When you’re listening to a colleague tell you about themselves, make it clear that you are listening to them and are interested in their story by asking them questions about themselves and avoiding doing anything to make the situation about you.

#10 Smile

Greeting someone with a smile is the simplest way to show them that you are sincere and likeable.

#11 Spend Time With Them

The ‘mere exposure’ effect has been proven to cause people to like those who they are exposed to on a regular basis, and while this is certainly the case with work colleagues, there are still ways you can make the extra effort. Arranging to have lunch with them, even in the office kitchen can help take your working relationship to a higher level.

Wendy.

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